Homemade Diaper Cream and Deodorant Update and Recipes

Since I know you love context, I'll first tell you that my soundtrack while typing this blog post is my daughter upstairs directing a duet of Judy Rogers' "What will you say today, with your tongue?" (whatever it's called) when she and little brother should be napping. And now, "Mommy, my mirror fell off the wall!" repeatedly through the monitor. Hmm, I wonder how that happened when both of them are theoretically tucked snugly in their beds?

Next, of course, the urgent pitter patter of "We're totally justified at getting out of bed for this!" footsteps on the stairs. It must be the notification brigade, one of whom managed to do this with his shirt while he was "sleeping":

Now for the content. Perhaps you remember when I went all gung-ho natural last year and posted about various natural cleaners and personal products I planned to try. I've been so happy with the diaper cream, face wash, and deodorant that they are definitely part of my permanent regimen. I've also been using a rose water and glycerin face moisturizer, but bought it already mixed so I can't tout it as homemade.

Since we are going to be taking just bare essentials with us when we move next month, and will be without our full range of supplies for up to six months, I figured I should refill my diaper cream and deodorant before we move (face wash I make every 4-6 weeks). I haven't refilled since I made the original recipes - when was that, last summer sometime? So these go a long way! I expect the diaper cream to be used up a little faster with a newborn, as Isaac is pretty well established in his cloth diapers and doesn't have issues too frequently. But when he does, they have either been super mild, or this diaper cream is a magic charm! It's also been seemingly safe for my cloth diapers, no repelling issues here.

If you're interested, here is my diaper cream recipe:
[makes about 1 cup, or a small jelly jar]

1/8 cup coconut oil (room temperature, soft or liquid)
1/4 cup raw shea butter (softened)
3-4 Tbs cornstarch or arrowroot powder (optional - for thickness)
Several drops lavender essential oil (optional, for scent)

Mix oil and butter with stick blender or mixer (it gets a great whipped texture!) then stir in powder 1 Tbs at a time til desired consistency.

I think the powder would also help with some odor absorbency in the diaper. I didn't add it the first time, but will try it this time around. The texture/consistency was fine without it, very spreadable and softened immediately with body heat. I wouldn't be opposed to having it a little thicker and with some odor-fighting properties. I also left it unscented the first time, and it was fine, but I'd love to give it a little lavender fragrance. I'm sure you could use whatever scent you would find enjoyable on your baby's bottom.


And deodorant:
[fills two small jelly jars, so about 2 cups?]

5-6 Tbs coconut oil (room temperature, soft or liquid)
1/8 cup arrowroot powder
1/8 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup baking soda
Several drops bergamot oil (optional, for scent)

Mix powders together, then slowly add oil until you have a "pomade" consistency.

Notes: I split my oil amount between coconut oil and a little raw shea butter when I made it last year, and loved it. The nice thing about coconut oil is even though it gets firm in the jar, as soon as you get a little pea-sized amount on your fingertips to rub into your underarm, it softens right up and rubs in. I left this unscented last year too and it's been fine (a little coconut-y!), but the original recipe website suggested bergamot oil. I could go for a little fragrance, I think, especially as I'll be surrounded by lots of bodily fluids and earthy smells this summer with the arrival of baby brother (you're welcome for the imagery!).

I'm debating whether to cut the deodorant recipe in half this time, as it made two jelly-jar pots full and we are just now down to the last half jar. It's kind of nice to only have to make super-cheap non-toxic deodorant once in an entire year though! I think I spent a total of...totally guessing here...three dollars on all of the deodorant I used in the past ten months. A few tablespoons of shea butter, coconut oil, and the powders...I spent maybe $15 on everything that wasn't already in my pantry when I first mixed up a batch. I already had cornstarch and baking soda, which are both inexpensive anyway. And this recipe barely dips into any of the ingredients!

So there you go. If you're interested in spending all of $5 at the most on both diaper cream and deodorant for the year, try these recipes. You'll invest a little more than that for your ingredients, but they will apparently last for years if you're not using them for other things!

If you are wondering about the face wash, I'll include it here too:

Brew a strong cup of chamomile tea. Allow to cool.
Combine:
1/4 cup cooled tea
1/4 cup castile soap
3/4 tsp grapeseed, almond, hazlenut, avocado or olive oil (I use grapeseed)
8 drops essential oils (I have used tea tree and orange but might try the lavender I got for my diaper cream)

I actually cut this recipe in half, and just dump all these ingredients into the small jelly jar I use for my face wash, and shake it up to combine. Shake before each use, as the ingredients separate. I use this for shaving as well, because the oil makes my skin so soft and gives a smooth shave. That also helps me use it up in my 4-6 week time frame; since it has no preservatives, I feel like much longer than that and it could get a little gross. Maybe that's just me being paranoid?

How about you? Have you tried any of these, or other, homemade recipes for personal care products? I'm always looking to learn more and make them even more user-friendly. Though I'm not sure how to get more user-friendly than stick-blending a few ingredients once a year!

Upcoming posts: "No-poo" for your hair, and homemade laundry detergent update

Wearing Sockses, Buying Boxes

I know, just call me Dr. Seuss; this post title was inspired by funny things from near and far. Would you like to box a Gox? Perhaps in yellow Gox box socks?

This morning, M presented herself in my room wearing exactly one black polka dot sock and a pink hat. Oh, and a big smile, but it probably goes without saying that my three year old would be in her glory at that level of undress. Naturally, she needed help getting the sock on properly, and immediately thence scampered back to her room for the rest of her attire. Would the world be a happier place if we all donned our clothing socks-and-pink-hats first? She may be on to something there.

In other news, I just placed an order for $244 worth of various sized moving boxes and packing tape. Because when she's packing up her worldly possessions at 30 weeks pregnant, Momma doesn't track down used grocery store and Chick Fil A boxes. The boxes (that do not smell like eggs and frozen french fries) come to Momma. U-haul buys back any boxes we don't use, but still. Don't be surprised if the book we get you for Christmas arrives in a 24 x 20 x 34 Shorty Wardrobe Box.

It's true. My husband is climbing - nay, catapulting - up the academic librarian career ladder by way of a two-hour move in the eleventh hour of pregnancy. Okay, maybe the tenth hour.There are so many ways in which this is an answer to prayer, even if it does have our heads spinning! The Lord provided a full-time position for Joel, complete with insurance benefits, a mere one week before Isaac's birth. I suppose I should be grateful for all the advance notice this time around! This move will allow me to stay home with the littles full-time and put my heart and soul and what's left of my brain into homeschooling. (It might not be much, but I think I can still keep ahead of a three year old.)

So if you find yourself with any extra plastic bags, small boxes or paper boxes (we have many size boxes, but little ones are helpful for packing small breakables inside larger boxes), or spare time and you want to watch my kids for a morning, let me know! We've been beyond blessed with support from our friends and family already, and are thankful the Lord places us in family and in His body all the time, but especially in times like these. More coming soon on how He has been caring for all our details...what a gracious God we serve!

Overheard at My House Lately

In case you've been wondering why I don't blog more often, it's because at 27 (I think) weeks pregnant and with a three year old and two year old at home, my world is more disjointed and humorous than it is blog-worthy. And no, I'm not totally sure "how pregnant" I am without consulting a calendar. I know the number changes on Sundays, but I can never quite remember whether the number in my head was from last week, or the one coming up. So, ballpark, I'm at the beginning of the third trimester, and hoping this baby makes a precocious appearance well before his due date of June 15.

As an example of the typical conversations at our house, the following transpired one morning when M came over for snuggle time before we all trooped downstairs for breakfast. Background: I have this little white vase full of colored stones, recently discovered and also strewn about my entire bedroom by the kids.

M: Where is your white bowl with stones?
Me: I'm not really sure (God's honest truth, actually, since Joel seems to have hidden it since The Scattering)
M: I. and I were sprinkling the stones on top of us.
Me: Oh, really?
M: (exuberantly) Yes, we were PIZZA!!!

Also, this afternoon, I. trooped out of his room for the thirty bazillionth time when he should have been napping. I had wisened up and parked myself on my bed to get some work done, rather than making my thirty bazillionth trip up and down the stairs to discipline. He peeked into my room in the cutest possible way, because he totally knows how not to get spanked. After I acknowledged him, he tiptoed in and with his big beautiful eyes gazing adoringly into mine, he said, "This is a pretty room, mommy!" I don't know whether it was the noticeable lack of laundry baskets that have been residing in the corner for several days, or the aforementioned knack for avoiding spankings, but either way this kid seems to be a Husband of the Year-in-Training. His next comment? "I like your bed, mommy." I can't even get over him.

And then of course there's M. again, who instructed me through all the steps of disciplining I. one of the many times I found him out of his bed this afternoon. Golly, it had been so long since I had to spank anybody, I probably would have forgotten something important if it hadn't been for my diligent three-year-old.

Currently, I'm sitting on my bed, having surrendered to an afternoon completely devoid of naps. I'm listening to the sound of M. getting something out of the refrigerator, probably grapes, and I. is parading around in my slippers. Now M. is here asking what else she can have for her snack, and somebody is gassy (not me, I swear). Life is full, life is chaotic, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Except possibly five minutes to myself in a locked bathroom with a glass of wine.

Gotta run, everyone's crying!

Cupcakes and Canines

Today's blog post is brought to you courtesy of last night's mini cupcake run. We grocery shopped this morning, which means lots of cuteness and making friends in the dairy aisle coupled with a significant expenditure of energy on my part. And choruses of, "Let's stick together! Are you sticking with me? Stick with me!!" throughout the aisles of Walmart because otherwise we are cruising for a traumatic child-losing incident. Although currently Mikayla runs back to me (when we are NOT "sticking together") with wild-eyed excitement and happiness because "I was lost!!" Oh dear. Hopefully this can at least become a workable object lesson next time we sing "Amazing Grace".

ANYWAY.

What does that have to do with cupcakes? They are my coping mechanism, my survival technique. Don't judge. I have three under three, one of them hitching a ride around my midsection everywhere we go and causing lots of fun times in Momma's digestive and endocrine systems. This momma? Entitled. Along with, arguably, every other Momma out there - please, go enjoy three guilt-free mini-cupcakes. I would mail them to you because you deserve to have baked deliciousness arrive on your doorstep, except I don't remember the last time I mailed something in either a timely or well-packed manner.

The digression is amazing here, isn't it? In case you were wondering, my background music is the kids playing a whistle they apparently found in their room when they are supposed to be napping. It's good for the concentration.

Ok, right, the cupcakes - they allow me to enjoy naptime by providing a much-needed energy burst and activating the pleasure centers of my brain which have lain dormant since we stepped foot inside Walmart. Thus, I am blogging instead of lying in a puddle of liquid Momma brains on the couch.

Speaking of liquid Momma brains, yesterday I took little man to the doctor's office to rule out an ear infection, only to have him officially diagnosed with an incredibly rare and concerning illness called, "teething". His prognosis is good, as long as Momma re-engages her brain and gives Tylenol as needed. Is there any convincing explanation as to why you haven't looked inside your child's mouth long enough to spot FOUR canine teeth erupting simultaneously? Do you brush your child's teeth regularly? Ever? Do you spend time in the same room? Do you love him at all?

Of course I love him. I let him sleep with his favorite whistle.

And I treat all his worst teething symptoms with Vicks Baby Rub and homeopathic ear drops. Obviously. Veteran mom right here. Acetaminophen is for wimps. Give that baby some perfume on his chest and call it a night.

Please, tell me you've been here? Moms of the Year, stand and unite. I'm going to go ahead and decide this was the point of this post, since there clearly hasn't been one evident til now. YOU, Momma, are doing a great job, even when you are so tired/frazzled/hormonal that you miss the completely obvious soiled diaper/lake of milk on the floor/budding teeth and wonder why your child is wailing and the house stinks. (Aside: Little man had a blow-out when he woke up this morning. It still stunk in their room when I took them up for naps, and I literally almost cried. Because that's how my sanity is hanging these days. I told you, cupcakes.)

Praying the current wave of hormones passes quickly and allows me to settle smoothly into second trimester next week. I don't know how much longer I can, in good conscience, subject my family to Crazy Momma! Thank God, truly, for grace and strength sufficient to each day (often in the form of an understanding husband and/or chocolate). And thanks for stopping in for a glimpse of my crazy.

Pom Pom Hats and Mitten Prayers

My poor kids have been braving the November cold sans mittens and with Isaac wearing my green cable-knit hat to keep his ears warm. I've been watching for winter attire, though, and finally made some great finds today!

First, the obligatory matching pom pom hats:

You don't know what it took at 5:10pm to get a picture that looks even that composed. Maybe somebody should be starting dinner instead of blogging, *ahem*.

But then I spotted some mittens on a yardsale site for M. Jackpot! The mom selling them lived only three minutes away, right in our small town, so after naps we loaded up and went. (I love how that sounds so simple. But really it entailed me messaging said mom multiple times with messages like, "They just fell asleep, so we will probably be later"..."Ok, they JUST woke up and are eating crackers, be over at 4:15", etc. And then of course coats, shoes, deciding WHICH hats to wear since we got new ones at Second Street this morning. But anyway...)

The really fun part comes when we pulled up to the "house with the mittens" as M dubbed it. Let's just say it was the sort of neighborhood that makes you self-conscious about paying for your fifty-cent mittens with nickels and dimes. Kind of like paying for lunch with laundry change in college. We had two pairs of mittens from which to choose. Trying them on, M discovered that the purple pair, which obviously were the ones she really wanted, fit perfectly AND had a heart on the back of each hand that (sort of) matches her purple heart-covered coat! She naturally declared that she would wear the mittens ALL DAY. Oh glee.

I paid the lady in toddler-offering-plate-currency and we headed out. M exclaimed, "Bye house, see you the next time! When we come back! Bye bye house!" I told her that now she and Isaac are both ready for the snow to come. She exclaimed (she does nothing BUT exclaim, btw), "My mittens will keep my hands DRY in the SNOW!" and then "I can put it on the GROUND and make a SNOW MAN!!" I agreed with everything she said because it's easier that way, and told her we could ask God to send us some snow. She promptly clapped her hands together in preparation to pray, and the flood of emotions that washed over her little face as she realized that you can't fold your hands to pray in mittens!! She looked shocked, horrified, devastated, confused - would God still hear her little request? Oh, it was all I could do not to laugh.

And then when she did pray, it was "Dear God, thank you for that we can send snow. In Jesus name we pray, Amen." Precious.

Also, as we drove to get the mittens she kept saying, "Can we shoot back home?" I finally said, "Ok" just to acknowledge her, even though I had no idea what she meant. She responded with, "Ok, let's turn around then." So she apparently uses grown-up jargon now to talk about where she wants to "shoot" in the car.

These kids are just too much. I know this was mostly about M, but little man has had his moments today, too. He woke up from his nap all kisses and snuggles, and crawled into M's bed with her to bestow all manner of toddler affection on his sister. And soon directed it toward Momma as well. My melting heart, that would have been the perfect opportunity for him to ask me for a new tractor or jungle gym or M&M's for life. Putty in his hands. Let's hope he never realizes it!

Here's a bonus picture just because I'm feeling generous. The doctor's office this morning was giving out free reindeer antler hats. The look on I's face about sums up his feelings on the whole ordeal. M, of course, wanted to wear hers ALL DAY.

When The Midnight Meets the Morning

It is with some trepidation that I begin this post, because it departs from my usual tone and, frankly, makes me feel a bit vulnerable. But as the Lord exhorts us in the Psalms, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble." [107:2] So He has wrought a work of grace in my heart recently, and I feel I ought to say so. Without further ado...

Have you ever felt distant from the Lord? I mean as a Christian. Knowing you have enjoyed sweet, face-to-face fellowship, but knowing your current choices and behaviors are hindering your prayers and hiding Him from your eyes. 

This was me recently. I have been drowning in sin. The particulars aren't important here, only that I could feel it closing over my head and eclipsing the presence of my precious Savior. In fact, He hasn't felt terribly precious to me. I haven't longed for repentance, and I have felt the tangible barrier to my prayers, the hardness of my heart. I doubt anyone else would even have noticed, likely not even my husband, but I knew my inner attitude and was getting to the point where it didn't even bother me.

I'm ashamed to say I was grateful not to attend worship this past Lord's Day so that I didn't have to face the Lord's table...my heart was not at a place of repentance, and we are warned that to partake unworthily is to invite judgment. Was Isaac's illness, then, a small mercy of the Lord, as He had a plan for this process, to bring me restoration and not judgment?

It's not that I haven't thought about repenting. Repeatedly, the thought has been there. My eyes have been wide open and I've known what I was doing in my heart. But I simply lacked the desire for the Lord. This gave me pause, for in Romans 1, He warns of His wrath, and that His judgment takes the form of giving the sinner over to His sin completely, apart from His restraining mercy on the sin or consequence. A sobering thought, and just enough to prompt my heart to send up the feeblest of prayers.

Give me the desire for You, Lord. Help me want to repent, because I don't want to now. Please, God, soften my heart. Help me, Father.

How incredibly merciful He is!

He began by sending conviction through my words to others. Counseling clients through repentance and behavior change, I heard echoes of the Lord reminding me to flee sin, to develop a plan for escaping temptation, and that the Lord sometimes restores the heart feelings only after helping the believer to place one weary foot in front of the other, in a slow but decisive turn away from sin. In other words, much like the journey out of depression or anxiety, feelings often follow action. Ok, Lord, I should take action then.

Choose obedience, He whispered. You have been here before, and I did not forsake you then. I will not leave you now. I am leading you out of this muck and mire.

I slowly began to listen. I resolved. He soon sent bits of Scripture.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man [1 Cor 10:13].

We do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin [Heb 4:15].

Flee temptation...your Savior is by your side, with tender understanding and not judgment. I will not beat you down with condemnation, but lift you up by grace.

These helped me bear up under temptation and gave me something to focus on besides the pull of sin and how justified it felt. So my choices began to improve, my heart began to soften, and I could pray more earnestly for repentance. It was so close...

Then today, the Lord ministered so tenderly to me through a Getty song - "Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer". I wept as I drove the kids in the minivan (you know you're a mom when...). God spoke reassurance, and brought a blessed, "Lord, I am so sorry" to my lips, softly, over and over. I felt my heart completely break within me, and the veil lifted again - my spirit at last unhindered from entering before the Lord.

Restore unto me the joy of my salvation [Psalm 51:12].

Better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere [Psalm 84:10].

The sweet blessing of restored fellowship, and then, "Thank you, Father, thank you, my Lord." My Savior, once again precious to me. As I listened to the lyrics of this song unfold, my heart swelled in gratitude for the Lord bringing me through such a dark night to the morning. Truly He has restored the joy of my salvation and I find that I do indeed love Him even more.

Jesus, Draw me ever nearer

As I labor through the storm

You have called me to this passage

And I'll follow, though I'm worn

May this journey bring a blessing

May I rise on wings of faith

And at the end of my hearts testing

With Your likeness let me wake

Jesus, guide me through the tempest

Keep my spirit stayed and sure

When the midnight meets the morning

Let me love You even more

May this journey bring a blessing

May I rise on wings of faith

And at the end of my hearts testing

With Your likeness let me wake

Let the treasures of the trial

Form within me as I go

And at the end of this long passage

Let me leave them at your throne

[Keith & Kristyn Getty]

This experience has impressed upon me even more the importance of dwelling in the Scriptures often. I've been studying the book of Hebrews with the young ladies of our church, and committed the first two chapters of Romans to memory awhile back. Both of those benefitted my soul tremendously, as the Lord brought those words to me because they were already written on my heart. Surely He knows our frame as He instructs us in Ephesians 6 to take up the whole armor of God, including the belt of truth and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

Soli deo gloria!

Mama was Hangry

This evening, I stopped for dinner on my way home for dinner. You read that correctly. I justified the decision because the minivan desperately needed gasoline, and my sister in law was texting me about pie recipes for Thanksgiving. Obviously, the Sheetz MTO practically ordered itself.

And yes, I still ate dinner when I got home.

But this isn't about my gluttony (entirely). It's about the random thoughts I found going through my head, and my inexplicable desire to share them with a wider audience. Because if I thought my thoughts were hilarious, surely you will...right?

#1, on my way out the door at Sheetz, already starting to unwrap my MTO: "Don't judge me, I'm pregnant. My pants aren't even buttoned right now."

No idea what the state of my buttons had to do with anything, but there you go.

#2, putzing along in the slow right lane on the highway: "Wow, this whole right lane must be people eating their Sheetz MTO's on their way home."

Nothing like a little projection to assuage the guilt of impulse food. Yes, everybody else must be as self-indulgent and uncontrolled as me.

#3, approaching my exit: "I bet I'll have this finished in time to stop at the next Sheetz for something else."

Yes, yes I did have it finished in plenty of time. And it was a long ninety seconds at that red light as I willed myself not to make the left toward the Sheetz.

#4, not a one-time thought but characteristic of my entire eleven minutes from Sheetz to home: "That was the best $3.61 I have ever spent."

Imagine my delight when I got home to Joel already heating leftovers. Chicken and stuffing, and glazed carrots were the perfect follow-up to my six-inch on Italian herb, with every topping except the jalapenos, added American cheese (did you know they charge $0.40 to add cheese to an Italian sub? They know where to get you. It's like charging for grocery bags...you're obviously not NOT going to use them so of course you'd have to pay, unless you brought your own, and it just seems awkward to bring my own cheese into Sheetz. But I digress...), and their delicious fire-roasted tomato sauce.

Hopefully that'll hold me over until the 8:30 second-dinner hunger pangs strike. I must be carrying a girl, seriously.

(The hangry reference in the title comes from here....HT to Christina, this describes me perfectly, like, every day!)